5 First-Timers on Billboard’s Charts This Week: BABYMONSTER, Rio Romeo, Max McNown & More
Billboard has more than 200 different weekly charts, encompassing numerous genres and formats.
While established artists often compete for a spot on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart and Billboard 200 albums ranking, which track the most popular songs and albums of the week, respectively, up-and-coming talents typically start off on genre-specific lists.
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Here’s a look at five titles by artists who appear on surveys for the first time on the Dec. 9-dated charts.
BABYMONSTER
The South Korean group scores its first appearance on Billboard’s charts thanks to its debut single “Batter Up.” The song, released Nov. 27 via YG Entertainment, arrives at No. 49 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart and No. 101 on the Billboard Global 200 with 24.6 million streams earned outside the U.S. Nov. 24-30, according to Luminate. It also starts at No. 5 on the World Digital Song Sales chart with 1,000 U.S. downloads sold in its opening week.
BABYMONSTER, also known as “Baemon” in Korean, is a newly formed K-pop act under YG, which also has fellow groups BLACKPINK and TREASURE on its roster. The act was introduced earlier this year on the Korean reality show Last Evaluation. The group is comprised of Ahyeon, Asa, Chiquita, Pharita, Rami, Rora and Ruka.
Rio Romeo
The singer-songwriter earns their first Billboard chart hit with “Nothing’s New.” The song, released in September 2022 via Rio Does Everything, debuts at No. 18 on the Hot Alternative Songs chart, and No. 35 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, with 1.9 million U.S. streams (up 17%). The song also rises from No. 37 to No. 22 on the latest TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart, reaching a new peak.
TikTok has been a key factor in the song’s growing popularity, as various snippets and versions of the song have gone viral. One version has been used in over 250,000 clips on the platform to date, while a separate sped-up mix has soundtracked over 200,000 videos. Another version has been used in more than 20,000 clips.
Rio Romeo primarily records cabaret-inspired pop music. They released their debut full-length LP Obnoxious Liberal: The Musical in 2018. They’ve also released two EPs: the five-track Good God! (which includes “Nothing’s New”) in 2022 and the four-track Valentine this February. They have also served up two other songs this year: “Over & Over” in April and “Everyday Is the Best Day of My Life” in June.
Max McNown
The Oregon native debuts at No. 45 on Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart, marking his first-ever chart appearance thanks to his breakout single “A Lot More Free.” The song, released in August on Fugitive Records, logged 422,000 U.S. streams and sold 1,000 downloads in the latest tracking week. TikTok has been a contributing factor in McNown’s growing profile, as the song recently went viral on the platform. McNown also posts covers of songs by Zach Bryan, Tyler Childers and other singer-songwriters.
McNown has had a busy year so far. He’s released all three of his EPs in 2023: the six-track A Lot More Free in August, the four-track Can’t Hide the Light in October and the five-song Love I Got Left on Dec. 1. He also released a duet with Grace Tyler, a cover of George Strait’s 1996 top five Hot Country Songs hit “I Can Still Make Cheyenne,” on Nov. 3.
Julia Church
The singer-songwriter notches her first Billboard chart entry thanks to her featured appearance on Diplo and Hugel’s “Stay High.” The song, released Nov. 24 on Higher Ground, debuts at No. 9 on Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales. “Stay High” reworks Tove Lo’s 2014 hit, “Habits (Stay High),” which reached No. 3 on the Hot 100. On the new version, Church sings the familiar chorus.
Church has been releasing solo music since 2019, including four EPs: Take What You Want, Do as You Please in 2019; To Have, Not Just to Hold in 2020; Cups and Balloons, also in 2020; and On the Run in 2022.
“Stay High” isn’t Church’s first dance collaboration. She’s also released music with Armin van Buuren, Camel Phat, Gorgon City, Lane 8 and Sultan + Shepard, among others.
O’Kenneth & XlimKid
Both artists arrive on Billboard’s charts for the first time thanks to their new collaboration, “Lonely Road.” The song, released Oct. 27 on Walboomers Music, debuts at No. 28 on the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart. The track appears on the pair’s joint six-track EP Pain in Glory.
O’Kenneth, from Kumasi, Ghana, has been releasing music since 2020. He’s dropped two solo full-length LPs: Until It’s All Said and Done in 2021 and Straight Outta Kumerica 2, with Reggie, in 2022.
XlimKid, also from Ghana, has released more than a dozen songs, all since 2022. Pain in Glory is his first EP.
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